Doug Doughty

Doug Doughty's College Notebook Plus is exclusive to roanoke.com and is posted by 5 p.m. Fridays.

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The decision by West Potomac’s 6-foot-8, 270-pound Jimmy Bennett to commit to Connecticut merely perpetuates a trend of top northern Virginia linemen leaving the state.

In the winter of 2005, Boston College signed Centreville High School’s Pat Sheil, the top O-line prospect in the state and the No. 6 prospect overall by The Roanoke Times.

In the winter of 2006, Alabama signed 6-5, 295-pound Alex Stadler from Liberty High School in Bealeton. Stadler was rated the No. 15 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times, but there was no offensive lineman rated any higher.

Last winter, it was 6-6, 285-pound Andrew Nuss from Stone Bridge in Loudoun County. In a year when five of the state’s top six offensive linemen went to Virginia Tech, only Nuss went out of state. He signed with Notre Dame.

It’s a little earlier to make a judgment on Nuss, who at least is on the roster at Notre Dame, where he is listed as a defensive end. That’s more than can be said for Stadler.

A website devited to Alabama athletics, rollcrimsontide.com, printed a statement from Stadler’s mother on Oct. 17 to the effect that her son would be transferring at the end of the first semester.

“Alex met with coach [Nick] Saban and he has agreed to grant Alex’s request to transfer at the end of the semester,” Cathy Stadler said.

Virginia and Virginia Tech fans might be wondering how they can get involved with Stadler, but just think about it. If he transfers at mid-year, he won’t be eligible to play for a Division I-A program until 2009, at which point he would be a fourth-year junior.

Even if a Division I-A program wanted to take a chance on Stadler for two years, why would he want to sit out a total of three years before making his college debut? If I’m a state Division I-AA coach, I’m looking into this one.

As for Sheil, I believe there was a time when he was under consideration as the No. 1 prospect in the state, until I remembered that the top prospect should always be a skilled player. The top skilled players always have a much bigger impact.

At least Sheil is on the two-deep at Boston College, but, as a redshirt sophomore, he is playing behind true freshman Anthony Castonzo at right offensive tackle. Castonzo, remember, played at Fork Union after receiving negligible recruiting interest in high school in Hawthorne, Ill.

So, what does all this mean for Bennett? Maybe nothing. Nobody has suggested to me that Bennett is anything less than he has been billed and Virginia Tech and Virginia both would have taken him with no questions asked. Bennett has enough agility to play basketball and he’s a good student.

What stands out to me is the growing influence of Connecticut’s recruiters in the state of Virginia. In addition to Bennett, emerging Ocean Lakes wide receiver Randall Dunn says he is certain to take a visit to UConn.

A check of the Connecticut coaching staff does not reveal a Virginia connection, except maybe an obscure one between head coach Randy Edsall and his brother, Duke, a college basketball official who lives in Botetourt County.

I don’t think Duke Edsall has been doing any recruiting for the Huskies, but UConn also was a surprise choice last year for former Highland Springs linebacker Jarrell Miller, once a top-five prospect in Virginia, who chose UConn after spending a year at Fork Union Military Academy.

Miller originally had signed with North Carolina but left Chapel Hill during the summer of 2006. That meant that he had to sit out the 2007 college season, even after spending four months at Fork Union.

THIS WILL BE AN abbreviated Notebook Plus as I prepare to hit the road for Miami, but the reference to Anthony Castonzo begs for mention of Fork Union’s sleeper offensive lineman this year, 6-6, 310 Austin Pazztor, a 16-year-old Canadian.

Fork Union coach John Shuman, basking in the glow of a 34-0 romp over archirval Hargrave, said his two best prospects are 6-3, 205-pound Keith Stroud, a wide receiver from Brooklyn, N.Y., and Taveion Cuffee, a 5-11, 185-pound defensive back from Virginia Beach.

Shuman said that Cuffee reminds him of Kareem Jackson, who played defensive back at Fork Union in 2006 and is now starting for Alabama as a freshman.